2018 RWA Diversity Summit Schedule

Romance Writers of America

In continuing its commitment to increasing diversity and inclusion within the organization and the romance industry, Romance Writers of America will hold its second Diversity Summit at the 2018 RWA Conference in Denver on Friday, July 20. The Summit is a meeting that gathers high-level publishing professionals, key contacts at major retailers, members of the RWA staff and Board, and selected committee and chapter leaders who are registered for the conference. A summary of the Summit will be provided to membership by August 6, 2018.

The Diversity Summit will once again be moderated by 2016’s Librarian of the Year recipient Robin Bradford. We'll be discussing the results of a survey RWA commissioned from NPD Book focusing on the buying habits of readers across ethnicity, age, and sexual orientation, as well as revealing initiatives within RWA to promote inclusiveness within our own organization and the industry. We will be inviting publishers to share their ideas, in-house initiatives, and ways in which RWA can be a resource for them.

Agenda

8:30–8:35 a.m.: Welcome Address

8:35–8:55 a.m.: “The Romance Book Buyer 2017: A Study from NPD Book for Romance Writers of America”

8:55–9:15 a.m.: RWA Initiatives

RITA Statement

Chapter Code of Conduct and Chapter Leader Training

Spectrum Grant Update

Looking Forward

9:15–10:15 a.m.: Open Dialogue: A moderated discussion between industry leaders and RWA

We're so excited to announce our stellar lineup of featured speakers for RWA2019 in New York, July 24–27!

About RWA

Romance Writers of America (RWA) is a nonprofit trade association, with a membership of more than 10,000 romance writers and related industry professionals, whose mission is to advance the professional and common business interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy.